Sometimes the best plans are the ones that don’t happen.
I had promised to take my son on another camping trip before he headed off to Turkey for the summer. The tents, fresh air and father-son adventure all sounded like a great idea in theory. Unfortunately, the Scottish weather had other plans. As the rain continued to pour down, it became increasingly obvious that spending a weekend sitting in a damp field was unlikely to create the sort of memories either of us were looking for.
Thankfully, live music once again came to the rescue.
Instead of heading into the wilderness, we pointed ourselves towards PJ Molloys in Dunfermline for a night with Broken Records. As backup plans go, it was a pretty strong one.
Over the years I’ve developed a real affection for smaller venues like PJ Molloys. There’s an intimacy to places like this that larger concert halls can never quite replicate. You’re close to the performers, close to the music and close enough to feel part of the evening rather than simply an observer. Broken Records felt perfectly suited to that environment.
For anyone unfamiliar with the band, Broken Records have spent years crafting a distinctive blend of indie rock, folk influences and emotionally charged songwriting. Their music has always possessed a cinematic quality, combining powerful arrangements with songs that seem designed to hit you somewhere between the heart and the stomach.
What struck me most during the performance was how naturally everything flowed. Some bands spend years trying to create atmosphere. Broken Records seem to generate it without effort. The songs built and swelled beautifully, drawing the audience further in with every passing track.
One of the pleasures of taking my son to gigs is introducing him to artists he might not otherwise discover. While camping would undoubtedly have provided a different sort of adventure, there was something equally valuable about spending the evening together surrounded by live music. Over the years we’ve shared everything from post-rock epics at the Barrowland to psychedelic excursions and deafening guitar bands. Adding Broken Records to the list felt like another successful entry in the ongoing project of broadening his musical horizons.
Of course, there was also a certain satisfaction in knowing that we had escaped the rain entirely. While campers across Scotland were no doubt wrestling with wet ground sheets and muddy boots, we were standing inside a warm venue listening to an excellent band.
Looking back, I suspect neither of us felt particularly disappointed about the abandoned camping trip by the end of the night.
Broken Records may not have been the original plan, but they turned out to be a very worthy replacement.
The videos and photographs below capture some of the evening. Not every adventure needs a tent, a campfire and a sleeping bag. Sometimes all you need is a good band, a great venue and a rainy Scottish evening.
The Photos
Cheers!
Donate
